The Audio Component of Radio: Sound, Music & Silence
Unit 12: The Audio Component of Radio
12.1 The System of Speech
Oral expression is the most genuine representation of the word. Spoken language has different components than written language.
12.1.1 Physical Resources
Speaking involves the use of muscles and joints. Poor articulation can cause slurred speech and, consequently, noise.
12.1.2 Language Resources
In radio, the level of speech is more important than the specific language used. The concrete realization of sounds is important.
Each individual and linguistic community has specific ways of producing sounds. When delivering a message, information not included in the written text is added.
This added information is determined by what are called suprasegmental features. These include intensity, tone, pitch, and duration, or characteristics of speech acoustics, such as intonation and rhythm.
Intonation is recognizable even by those who do not understand the language.
Oral expression is always intertwined with the emotion of the spoken word. In news programs, the spoken word is the star, compared to other sound elements.
12.2 The Musical System
The radio was initially a speaker for music. Music performed outdoors or indoors was captured and broadcast live on the radio.
12.2.1 Musical Expressiveness
With the arrival of records, magnetic wire, and later tape, radio had “every” type of music at its fingertips. It was understood that the radio was a generator of musical sound, but it was interpreted by other instruments using the radio as a broadcaster.
The final step was the creation of electroacoustic music in sound labs and studios of the radio. Music itself became radio.
12.2.2 Use of Music on the Radio
There are arguably three main uses of music on the radio:
- Programmatic: Radio played pre-recorded music from discs or organized live performances outside the studio, such as outdoor concerts or in theaters.
- Functional: Radio uses music with different functions. It can introduce a new meaning to the context in which it is placed and through changes in speed and rhythm.
- Assimilate: Music created through techniques originally intended for radio becomes integrated with the medium.
Electroacoustic music has had two main branches:
- Streamlined music: Subjected to mathematical formalization, its avant-garde lies in the use of information technology. This is music made by computers.
- Instinctive music: It is no longer under rational control. Once a complex sound is chosen, music is created based on the composer’s instinctual drives.
12.3 Noise or Special Effects
The sound effect is presented as a replacement or a natural or conventional simulation to describe a reality recognizable to any listener.
Before proceeding, it is essential to know the difference between “sound effect” and “sound environment” or “soundscape.” Sound effect refers to the use of one or more sounds in isolation. The latter terms suggest an atmosphere. The expressiveness of sounds can be summarized in the following points:
- Creating the atmosphere of a dramatic situation or event.
- Serving as background information for a narrative.
- Providing information in an audio documentary.
- Supporting and highlighting an action or statement.
- Reinforcing a message with redundant words and music. For example, if one speaks of an aircraft and soon after or simultaneously hears its sound.
12.4 Silence and its Capacity for Information
Silence in radio becomes an element of expression in the language. Prolonged silence can make the speaker and the listener nervous. Silence is also information. There has been a fear of using silence in radio. It could be interpreted as a symptom of a technical fault, but once the trust of the audience is gained, and they no longer suspect this risk, other uses can be explored, such as informational silence, silence for reflection, etc.
12.5 Expressive Combination of Components
A multiplicity of sounds, rather than enhancing, can dull the experience.
The human ear has developed great selectivity. Microphones do not have this selective ability. Due to this circumstance, the microphone captures a chaos of noise.
Parallel to the development of technology, new uses for sounds are being explored. Among these, research into creating suitable environments for work, rest, etc., should be emphasized.
The important thing is that the listener does not feel alone.
12.6 New Electronic and Computer Sounds
Technology has opened new pathways in sound processing using synthesizers, through which sounds can be achieved with different frequencies, high dynamic ranges, power, or similar or totally different timbres than natural sounds. Also noteworthy are the possibilities of sound banks through computers for use in radio and integration into narratives.